Position correction apparatus, position correction method, program, position correction system

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for correcting a location of a terminal are provided. In various aspects, a processor in a position correction apparatus may associate a reference position with the terminal, and determine a range for the terminal based on the reference position. The processor may also associate a second position with the terminal, and determine if the second position associated with the terminal is outside the determined range for the terminal based on the reference position. Upon a determination that indicates that the second position is outside the determined range, the processor may correct the second position to a corrected position associated with the terminal.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/425,929, filed on Mar. 21, 2012, which claims priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. JP 2011-069841 filed in the Japan PatentOffice on Mar. 28, 2011, the entire contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a position correction apparatus, aposition correction method, a program, and a position correction system.

Nowadays, a receiving apparatus capable of receiving a radio signaltransmitted from a satellite is mounted in movable bodies such asautomobiles and mobile phones. According to GPS (Global PositioningSystem) positioning, the position of a moving body in which such areceiving apparatus is mounted can be estimated. Position estimationtechnology using such a receiving apparatus is an important commonfundamental technology in a wide variety of fields such as navigation,security, and entertainment.

JP 2006-171012A discloses a technology in which PHS (Personal HandySystem) measures signal intensity of a signal transmitted from a basestation and estimates the position of the local machine based on themeasured signal intensity. More specifically, a base station of PHS isinstalled by a communication operator and thus, the installationlocation thereof is normally known. Therefore, if PHS measures signalintensity of signals transmitted from three base stations or more, andestimates the distance between each base station and the local machinebased on the measured signal intensity, the position of the localmachine can be estimated based on the principle of triangulation inwhich the installation position of each base station is used as areference.

Also, there can be considered a position estimation technology in whicha mobile terminal that performs radio communication with a base station(access point) of wireless LAN (Local Area Network) measures signalintensity of a signal transmitted from the base station and a positionestimation apparatus communicable with the mobile terminal estimates theposition of the mobile terminal based on the signal intensity. Forexample, a base station of wireless LAN transmits a beacon to signal thepresence of the base station of the wireless LAN around the base stationat fixed periods (for example, 5 times/sec). The mobile terminaltransmits signal intensity of such a beacon to the position estimationapparatus and the position estimation apparatus cart estimate theposition of the mobile terminal based on the signal intensity and theposition of the wireless LAN registered in advance.

SUMMARY

However, according to various types of position estimation technologydescribed above, it is possible to obtain an estimation result with highreliability when positioning accuracy is ensured, but the positioningaccuracy is not necessarily ensured all the time, so there is apossibility that it is difficult to obtain an estimation result withhigh reliability. Therefore, it is desired that the position estimationwith even higher reliability is performed.

In light of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a novel andimproved technology capable of improving the reliability of the positionestimation.

In one aspect, a position correction apparatus for correcting a locationof a terminal is provided. The position correction apparatus may includea processor, which may be configured so as to: associate a referenceposition with the terminal; determine a range for the terminal based onthe reference position; associate a second position with the terminal;determine if the second position associated with the terminal is outsidethe determined range for the terminal based on the reference position;and, correct the second position to a corrected position associated withthe terminal when a determination indicates that the second position isoutside the determined range.

In another aspect, the processor in the position correction apparatusmay be further configured to obtain the corrected position bydetermining a position within the determined range for the terminal thatis nearest to the second position associated with the terminal.

In another aspect, the processor in the position correction apparatusmay be further configured to associate an action label with the terminalbased on an action of the terminal, and determine the range for theterminal based on the reference position and the action label associatedwith the terminal.

In another aspect, the processor in the position correction apparatusmay be further configured to determine a circular boundary having adesignated radius, where the reference position of the terminal may beincluded within the circular boundary, and, determine the range for theterminal based on the circular boundary.

In another aspect, the processor in the position correction apparatusmay be further configured to determine route information for theterminal based on the reference position; and, determine the range forthe terminal based on the route information.

In another aspect, the processor in the position correction apparatusmay be further configured determine the route information by associatingthe reference position of the terminal with a position of a road.

In another aspect, the processor in the position correction apparatusmay be further configured to determine the route information byassociating the reference position of the terminal with a position of arailway track.

In another aspect, the processor in the position correction apparatusmay be further configured to associate a destination with the terminalbased on the route information, estimate a time or arrival of theterminal at the destination associated with the terminal, and, determinethe range for the terminal based on the estimated time of arrival of theterminal at the destination.

In another aspect, the processor in the position correction apparatusmay be further configured to determine a change in the referenceposition associated with the terminal based on a movement of theterminal, and, recalculate the range for the terminal based on thechange in the reference position of the terminal.

In another aspect, the processor in the position correction apparatusmay be further configured to determine a position accuracy for thereference position, determine if the position accuracy for the referenceposition is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and,associate the reference position with the terminal when a determinationindicates that the position accuracy for the reference position is equalto or greater than the predetermined value.

In another aspect, the processor in the position correction apparatusmay be further configured to determine a positioning accuracy for thesecond position, determine if the positioning accuracy for the secondposition is less than a predetermined value, and, correct the secondposition to the corrected position associated with the terminal when itis determined that the second position is outside the determined rangeand the positioning accuracy for the second position is less than thepredetermined value.

In various aspects, the terminal may be implemented within a personalcomputer, a video processing apparatus, a mobile phone, a musicreproduction device, a personal digital assistant device, a game device,a global positioning device, and a consumer electronics device.

In another aspect, at least one of the reference position, the secondposition and the corrected position associated with the terminal devicemay include an altitude associated with the terminal device.

In another aspect, the processor in the position correction apparatusmay be further configured to associate a time with at least one of thereference position, the second position and/or the corrected positionassociated with the terminal device.

A computer-implemented method for correcting a location of a terminal isprovided. The computer-implemented method may include: associating areference position with the terminal; determining, using a processor, arange for the terminal based on the reference position; associating asecond position with the terminal; determining if the second positionassociated with the terminal is outside the determined range for theterminal based on the reference position; and, correcting the secondposition to a corrected position associated with the terminal when adetermination indicates that the second position is outside thedetermined range.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage unit on which computerreadable instructions of a program are stored is provided. Theinstructions, when executed by a processor, may cause the processor to:associate a reference position with the terminal; determine a range forthe terminal based on the reference position; associate a secondposition with the terminal; determine if the second position associatedwith the terminal outside the range for the terminal based on thereference position; and, correct the second position to a correctedposition associated with the terminal when a determination indicatesthat the second position is outside the determined range.

According to the embodiments of the present disclosure described above,it is possible to improve the reliability of the position estimation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a position correctionsystem according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of each ofa mobile terminal and a position correction apparatus according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of data used by acorrection section of the position correction apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of position correctionperformed by the position correction apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of an example of the positioncorrection performed by the position correction apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position correction(case of taking account of positioning accuracy) performed by theposition correction apparatus when the position correction issuccessively performed.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of an example of the positioncorrection performed by the position correction apparatus when theposition correction is successively performed.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of an example of the positioncorrection (case of taking account of positioning accuracy) performed bythe position correction apparatus when the position correction issuccessively performed.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position correction(case of using road information) performed by the position correctionapparatus.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position correction(case of using information indicating a motion of a user) performed bythe position correction apparatus.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data used for algorithmselection performed by the position correction apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position correction(case of using action label) performed by the position correctionapparatus.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a flu of an example of the positioncorrection (case of using action label) performed by the positioncorrection apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a correction result in thecase where the position correction performed by the position correctionapparatus according to the present embodiment is applied to positioningtechnology based on a signal from a base station of a wireless LAN.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a correction result in thecase where the position correction performed by the position correctionapparatus according to the present embodiment is applied to GPSpositioning technology.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing an example a hardware configurationof the position correction apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT(S)

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to the appended drawings. Note that,in this specification and the appended drawings, structural elementsthat have substantially the same function and structure are denoted withthe same reference, numerals, and repeated explanation of thesestructural elements is omitted.

Further, in this specification and the appended drawings, there are somecases where multiple structural elements that have substantially thesame function and structure are distinguished from one another by beingdenoted with different alphabets after the same reference numerals. Notethat, in the case where it is not necessary to distinguish the multiplestructural elements that have substantially the same function andstructure from one another, the multiple structural elements are denotedwith the same reference numeral only.

Further, the “detailed description of the embodiment(s)” will bedescribed in the following order.

1. Description of embodiment

-   -   (Configuration of position correction system)

(Configurations of mobile terminal and position correction apparatus)

(Effects obtained when position correction apparatus is applied tovarious types of positioning technology)

(Hardware configuration of position correction apparatus)

2. Conclusion

<1. Description of Embodiment>

Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 16, an embodiment of thepresent disclosure will be described in detail.

(Configuration of Position Correction System)

First, a position correction system according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure will be described. In the position correction systemaccording to the present embodiment, a position correction apparatus forconfiguring the position correction system has remarkablecharacteristics. Hereinafter, the description will be made using FIGS. 1to 16.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a position correctionsystem 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, theposition correction system 1 includes mobile terminal 10 and a positioncorrection apparatus 20. The mobile terminal 10 and the positioncorrection apparatus 20 are capable of communicating with each other viaa network 30.

The network 30 is a wired or wireless transmission path for informationtransmitted from an apparatus connected to the network 30. For example,the network 30 may include a public line network such as the Internet, atelephone line network, and a satellite communication network, and aleased line network such as various types of LAN (Local Area Network)including Ethernet (registered trademark), WAN (Wide Area Network), andIP-VPN (Internet Protocol-Virtual Private Network).

The mobile terminal 10 is capable of acquiring position informationindicating the position of the mobile terminal 10. A technique ofacquiring the position information performed by the mobile, terminal 10is not particularly limited. For example, the mobile terminal 10 storesin advance base station information in which position informationindicating, the position at which a base station is set is associatedwith a base station ID, and, based on an intensity of a signal receivedfrom the base station and the base station information, the mobileterminal 10 estimates the position of the mobile terminal 10 using, forexample, the principle of triangulation, thereby being able to acquirethe position information. Further, for example, the mobile terminal 10may also acquire the position information by estimating the position ofthe mobile terminal 10 using a signal received from a GPS satellite.

The position of the mobile terminal 10 is not necessarily estimated inthe mobile terminal 10. For example, the reception result of a signalfrom the base station or the reception result of a signal from the GPSsatellite may be transmitted to a position estimation server, and theposition of the mobile terminal 10 may be estimated in the positionestimation server. In that case, the mobile terminal 10 acquires theposition information indicating the position of the mobile terminal 10,which is estimated in the position estimation server, and can transmitthe position information to the position correction apparatus 20 via thenetwork 30. Alternatively, the position correction apparatus 20 can alsodirectly acquire, from the position estimation server, the positioninformation indicating the position of the mobile terminal 10, which isestimated in the position estimation server.

The mobile terminal 10 may be an information processing apparatus suchas a PC (Personal Computer), a video processing apparatus for home use(such as a DVD recorder and a video cassette recorder), a mobile phone,a PHS (Personal Handyphone System), a portable music reproductiondevice, a portable video processing device, a FDA (Personal DigitalAssistant), a game device for home use, a portable game device, and aconsumer electronics device.

The position correction apparatus 20 is capable of correcting theposition information of the mobile terminal 10. It is not only theposition of the mobile terminal 10 that the position correctionapparatus 20 can correct, and the position correction apparatus 20 isalso capable of correcting pieces of position information of othermobile terminals. Note that, although in the example shown in FIG. 1,the mobile terminal and the position correction apparatus 20 are eachconfigured from separate hardware, the mobile terminal 10 and theposition correction apparatus 20 may be configured from the samehardware. That is, the position correction apparatus 20 may be embeddedin the mobile terminal 10, and the mobile terminal 10 and the positioncorrection apparatus 20 may be provided in an integrated manner.Hereinafter, the configuration of each of the mobile terminal 10 and theposition correction apparatus 20 according to the present embodimentwill be described.

(Configurations of Mobile Terminal and Position Correction Apparatus)

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of eachof the mobile terminal 10 and the position correction apparatus 20according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the mobileterminal 10 according to the present embodiment includes a positioninformation acquisition section 110, a communication section 120, and adetection section 130.

The position information acquisition section 110 has a function ofacquiring position information indicating the position of the mobileterminal 10. As described above, the technique of acquiring the positioninformation performed by the position information acquisition section110 is not particularly limited. Note that, as described above, in thecase where the position correction apparatus 20 directly acquires theposition information from the position estimation server or the like,the mobile terminal 10 may not include the position informationacquisition section 110.

The detection section 130 has a function of detecting informationindicating the motion of the user holding the mobile terminal 10. Thedetection section 130 may be configured from any hardware as long as theinformation indicating motion of the user can be detected, and may beconfigured from various types of sensors such as an acceleration sensor,a gyro sensor, a compass, a geomagnetic sensor, and a pressure sensor.

The communication section 120 has a function of communicating with theposition correction apparatus 20 via the network 30. The communicationsection 120 can function as a transmission section which transmits, tothe position correction apparatus 20, the position information acquiredby the position information acquisition section 110 and the informationindicating the motion of the user detected by the detection section 130,for example.

Further, shown in FIG. 2, the position correction apparatus 20 accordingto the present embodiment includes a communication section 210, acorrection section 220, a display section 240, a control section 250, astorage section 260, an input section 270, an action label acquisitionsection 280, and a selection section 290. The correction section 220includes an appropriate range specification section 221 and a positioninformation correction section 222.

The communication section 210 has a function of communicating with themobile terminal 10 via the network 30. The communication section 210 canfunction as a reception section which receives the position informationof the mobile terminal 10 and the information indicating the motion ofthe user, which are transmitted from the mobile terminal 10, forexample.

The correction section 220 is configured from, for example, a CPU(Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (RandomAccess Memory), and has a function of correcting the positioninformation indicating the position of the mobile terminal 10.

In general, in the GPS positioning and the measurement of a positionusing a wireless LAN, there are cases where positioning accuracy isunreliable. In such a case, when pieces of position information (forexample, latitude/longitude) of the mobile terminal 10 which aresuccessively measured are plotted, an unstable locus that deviates froman actual movement route of the mobile terminal 10 is rendered. It isnot uncommon that the locus largely deviates from the actual movementroute of the mobile terminal 10. The correction section 220 is capableof performing the position correction for bringing the unstable locusand the plot deviated from the actual movement route of the mobileterminal 10 closer to the actual movement route of the mobile terminal10.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of data used by thecorrection section 220 of the position correction apparatus 20. As shownin FIG. 3, the data used by the correct ion section 220 of the positioncorrection apparatus 20 includes estimation time, longitude(X-axis)/latitude (Y-axis), action label, positioning method, otherinformation, and the like. The estimation time is time at which theposition of the mobile terminal 10 is estimated, and is associated withthe longitude (X-axis)/latitude axis) at the time of estimating thelongitude (X-axis)/latitude (Y-axis), for example. The timing at whichthe position of the mobile terminal 10 is estimated is not particularlylimited, and, for example, the position of the mobile terminal 10 may beestimated every predetermined time.

The longitude (X-axis)/latitude (Y-axis) is an example of the positioninformation indicating the position of the mobile terminal 10. That is,the form of the position information may be a form using the longitude(X-axis)/latitude (Y-axis), and may also be a form using polarcoordinates or a form using a vector. Further, the form of the positioninformation may be three-dimensional coordinates including an altitude.The action label may be acquired by the action label acquisition section280, and the detail of the action label will be described below. Thepositioning method shows a method by which the position of the mobileterminal 10 is measured, and examples of the positioning methods includethe GPS positioning, the measurement of a position using a wireless LAN.The positioning method is associated with the position informationacquired by the positioning at the time of the positioning of the mobileterminal 10, for example.

Examples of other information include positioning accuracy, informationfor specifying a name, address, and floor of a building to which theposition at which the mobile terminal 10 is estimated to exist belongs,and weather and temperature of the position at which the mobile terminal10 is estimated to exist. The other information is associated with theposition information acquired by the positioning at the time of thepositioning of the mobile terminal 10, for example. Hereinafter, withreference to FIG. 4, the basic functions of the appropriate rangespecification section 221 and the position information correctionsection 222 will be described.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of position correctionperformed by the position correction apparatus. Here, the estimationtime is represented by T0 to Tn (n represents a natural number) in orderfrom the earliest to the latest, and the position information at eachestimation time is represented by P0 to Pn. As shown in FIG. 4, theappropriate range specification section 221 has a function of specifyingan appropriate range having, as a reference, the position information P0among the pieces of position information P0 to Pn with which theestimation times T0 to Tn are associated, respectively. The appropriaterange specification section 221 can specify the inside of a boundary B1having the position information P0 as a reference as an appropriaterange, for example. Although FIG. 4 shows an example in which theboundary B1 is a circle, the boundary B1 is not limited to the circle.

The position information correction section 222 has a function ofcorrecting the position information P1, in the case where the positioninformation P1 is outside the appropriate range specified by theappropriate range specification section 221. In the example shown inFIG. 4, since the position information P1 is outside the appropriaterange specified by the appropriate range specification section 221(outside the boundary B1), the position information correction section222 corrects the position information P1. The position informationcorrection section 222 may correct the position information P1 so as tohave any position information, and, can correct the position informationP1 to position information P1′ which is the nearest to the positioninformation P1 within the appropriate range, for example. The positioninformation P1′ satisfies a theoretical condition of being inside theappropriate range having the position information P0 as a reference, andalso satisfies a realistic condition of being the nearest to theposition information P1 that is an actual measurement value. Therefore,the position information P1′ can be even more appropriate positioninformation as the corrected position information.

In the case where the position information P1 is inside the appropriaterange specified by the appropriate range specification section 221, theposition information correction section 222 may not correct the positioninformation P1, or may correct the position information P1 inside theappropriate range. In the case where the positioning error of theposition information P1 is smaller than predetermined value, theposition information correction section 222 may limit the correction ofthe position information P1 (for example, may not correct the positioninformation P1) even when the position information P1 is outside theappropriate range. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 5, the flow ofoperation related to the basic functions of the appropriate rangespecification section 221 and the position information correctionsection 222 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a flow of an example of the positioncorrection performed by the position correction apparatus 20. First, theposition information acquisition section 110 acquires positioninformation P0 (S101). Next, the appropriate range specification section221 specifies the appropriate range having the position information P0as a reference (S102). Next, the position information acquisitionsection 110 acquires position information P1 (S103). In the case wherethe position information P1 is inside the appropriate range (“No” inS104), the position information correction section 222 terminates theposition correction.

In the case where the position information P1 is outside the appropriaterange (“Yes” in S104), the position information correction section 222corrects the position information P1 to position information P1′ whichis the nearest to the position information P1 within the appropriaterange (S105), and terminates the position correction. In the positionestimation described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, theappropriate range having the position information P0 as a reference isspecified, and the position information P1 is corrected. Hereinafter,with reference to FIG. 6, an example of the position correction (case oftaking account of positioning accuracy) performed by the positioncorrection apparatus 20 when the position correction is successivelyperformed will be described.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position correction(case of taking account of positioning accuracy) performed by theposition correction apparatus 20 when the position correction issuccessively performed. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the estimationtime is represented by T0 to T6 in order from the earliest to thelatest, and the position information at each estimation time isrepresented by P0 to P6. In the example shown in FIG. 6, since thepieces of position information P1 to P5 are outside the appropriaterange specified by the appropriate range specification section 221, theposition information correction section 222 corrects the pieces ofposition information P1 to P5 to pieces of position information P1′ toP5′, respectively.

That is, in general, the appropriate range specification section 221specifies the appropriate range having position information Pk−1 as areference, and the position information correction section 222 correctsposition information Pk, in the case where the position information Pkis outside the appropriate range (appropriate range having positioninformation Pk−1′ as a reference) specified by the appropriate rangespecification section 221.

Note that there is an issue that it is generally difficult to accuratelymeasure a position at indoor places, areas with many high-rise,facilities, and the like. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the positioninformation P2 and the position information P3 are inside a shop, andhence are the positions that are particularly liable to be low inpositioning accuracy. However, the position information P2 and theposition information P3 are corrected to position information P2′ andposition information P3′, respectively, by means of the positioncorrection according to the present embodiment, and therefore, theinfluence caused by the reduction of positioning accuracy can berelieved.

Since there are also cases where the positioning accuracy is unreliable,it is necessary to figure out carefully as to the position informationestimated at which estimation time is to be set as P0 (initial value).Accordingly, for example, in the case where positioning accuracy isequal to or more than a predetermined value, the position informationcorrection section 222 can set the position information as P0 (initialvalue). For example, in the case where the position information isestimated using the GPS positioning, the positioning accuracy may becalculated based on an error in the horizontal direction or the like.Further, in the case where the estimated position of the mobile terminal10 is not moved from an initial time T0 for a predetermined time period,the position information correction section 222 uses a principalcomponent analysis or the like, thereby ensuring the accuracy.

Further, in the case were the positioning accuracy is enhanced, in orderto prevent the positioning error from being continuously accumulated inthe value after the correction (hereinafter, may be also referred to as“corrected value” or “corrected value P′”), the position informationcorrection section 222 can also replace the corrected value with theposition information. For example, in the case where the positioningaccuracy is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the positioninformation correction section 222 can replace the corrected value withthe position information whose positioning accuracy is enhanced.Alternatively, in the case where the position information is inside theappropriate range, the position information correction section 222 mayreplace the corrected value with the position information.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, since position information P6 is outsidethe appropriate range having position information as a reference, theposition information correction section 222 can also correct theposition information P6 to position iinformation Q6′ which is thenearest to the position information P6 within the appropriate range.However, since the positioning accuracy of the position information P6is high, the position information correction section 222 can replace thecorrected value P′ with the position information P6. Hereinafter, withreference to FIG. 7, a flow of an example of the position correctionperformed by the position correction apparatus 20 when the positioncorrection is successively performed will be described.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a flow of an example of the positioncorrection performed by the position correction apparatus 20 when theposition correction is successively performed. As shown in FIG. 7,first, the position information acquisition section 110 performspreparation (setting k to 0) for acquiring first position information(S201), and the position information acquisition section 110 acquiresposition information Pk (S202). Next, the appropriate rangespecification section 221 specifies an appropriate range having positioninformation Pk−1 as a reference (S203). In the case where the positioninformation Pk is inside the appropriate range (“No” in S204), theposition information correction section 222 proceeds to S206, and in thecase where the position information Pk is outside the appropriate range(“Yes” in S204), the position information correction section 222corrects the position information Pk to position information Pk′ whichis the nearest to the position information Pk within the appropriaterange (S205), and proceeds to S206.

In the case of terminating the position correction (“Yes” in S206), theposition information correction section 222 terminates the positioncorrection, and in the case of continuing the position correction (“No”in S206), the position information correction section 222 performspreparation (adding 1 to k) for acquiring the next position information(S207), and returns to S202. Heretofore, there has been described theflow of an example of the position correction performed by the positioncorrection apparatus 20 when the position correction is successivelyperformed. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 8, a flow of an exampleof the position correction (case of taking account of positioningaccuracy) performed by the position correction apparatus 20 when theposition correction is successively performed will be described.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of an example of the positioncorrection (case of taking account of positioning accuracy) performed bythe position correction apparatus 20 when the position correction issuccessively performed. As shown in FIG. 8, first, the positioninformation acquisition section 110 performs preparation (setting k to0) for acquiring first position information (S301), and the positioninformation acquisition section 110 acquires position information Pk(S302). Next, in the case where the positioning accuracy of the positioninformation Pk is higher than a predetermined value (in the case wherethe positioning error of the position information Pk is smaller than apredetermined value) (“Yes” in S303), the position informationcorrection section 222 initializes a corrected value P′ to the positioninformation Pk (S304), and proceeds to S309.

In the case where the positioning accuracy of the position informationPk is smaller than the predetermined value (in the case where thepositioning error of the position information Pk is larger than thepredetermined value) (“No” in S303), the position information correctionsection 222 proceeds to S305. In the case where the corrected value P′is not initialized (“No” in S305), the position information correctionsection 222 proceeds to S309. In the case where the corrected value P°is initialized (“Yes” in S305), the appropriate range specificationsection 221 specifies an appropriate range having the corrected value P′as a reference (S306).

In the case where the position information Pk is inside the appropriaterange (“No” in S307), the position information correction section 222proceeds to S309, and in the case where the position information Pk isoutside the appropriate range (“Yes” in S307), the position informationcorrection section 222 corrects the corrected value P′ to positioninformation Pk′ which is the nearest to the position information Pkwithin the appropriate range (S308), and proceeds to S309.

In the case of terminating the position correction (“Yes” in S309), theposition information correction section 222 terminates the positioncorrection, and in the case of continuing the position correction (“No”in S309), the position information correction section 222 performspreparation (adding 1 to k) for acquiring the next position information(S310), and returns to S302. Heretofore, there has been described theflow of an example, of the position correction (case of taking accountof positioning accuracy) performed by the position correction apparatus20 when the position correction is successively performed.

Incidentally, it is as described above that the appropriate rangespecification section 221 can specify the inside of the boundary B1having the position information Pk−1 as a reference as the appropriaterange, for example. However, as the technique of specifying theappropriate range performed by the appropriate range specificationsection 221, many other techniques can be adopted. For example, theappropriate range specification section 221 may specify the appropriaterange based on a plurality of pieces of position information Pk−1, Pk−2,. . . , Pk−m of the past. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 9, anexample of the position correction (case of using road information)performed by the position correction apparatus 20 will be described.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position correction(case of using road information) performed by the position correctionapparatus 20. As shown in FIG. 9, in the case where pieces of positioninformation P0 to Pn each represent a position of the mobile terminal 10of the user, the appropriate range specification section 221 may specifyan appropriate range based on road information C′ indicating a positionat which a road exists. For example, the appropriate range specificationsection 221 may specify, as the appropriate range, the position at whichthe road exists indicated by the road information C′. In order tospecify the position at which the road exists indicated by the roadinformation C′ as the appropriate range, there can be adopted a generalmap matching technique that is used in a car navigation system and thelike, for example.

Further, the appropriate range specification section 221 may specify, asthe appropriate range, the position at which the road exists indicatedby the road information C′ and the inside of a boundary Bt havingposition information Pt−1 as a reference. In the example shown in FIG.9, the appropriate range specification section 221 specifies, as theappropriate range, the position at which the road exists indicated bythe road information C′ and the inside of the boundary Bt having theposition information Pt−1 as a reference. In this case, since positioninformation Pt is outside the appropriate range, the positioninformation correction section 222 corrects the position information Ptto position information Pt′ which is the nearest to the positioninformation Pt within the appropriate range.

Note that, although in the example shown in FIG. 9, the appropriaterange is specified based on the road information C′ indicating aposition at which a road exists, the appropriate range may also bespecified based on road information or railway information indicating aposition at which a railway track exist. That is, the appropriate rangespecification section 221 can specify the appropriate range based onroute information indicating a position at which a route such as a roador a railway track exists. Heretofore, there has been described anexample of the position correction (case of using road information)performed by the position correction apparatus 20. Hereinafter, withreference to FIG. 10, an example of the position correction (case ofusing information indicating a motion of a user) performed by theposition correction apparatus 20 will be described.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position correction(case of using information indicating a motion of a user) performed bythe position correction apparatus 20. As shown in FIG. 10, in the casewhere pieces of position information P0 to Pn each represent a positionof the mobile terminal 10 of the user, the appropriate rangespecification section 221 may specify an appropriate range based oninformation indicating the motion of the user detected by the detectionsection 130 of the mobile terminal 10. For example, in the case wherethe detection section 130 is configured from a geomagnetic sensor, theappropriate range specification section 221 can specify the appropriaterange based on the movement direction of the user detected by thegeomagnetic sensor.

For example, in the case where the movement direction of the user is“northeast direction”, the appropriate range specification section 221can specify a region of the first quadrant having position informationPt−1 as a reference as the appropriate range. Further, compared to thecase where the movement direction of the user is only “northeastdirection”, in the case where the movement direction of the user changesin the order of “northeast direction”, “southwest direction”, and“northeast direction”, the appropriate range specification section 221can specify a smaller region of the first quadrant having the positioninformation Pt−1 as a reference as the appropriate range.

Further, the appropriate range specification section 221 may specify, asthe appropriate range, the appropriate range specified based on theinformation indicating the motion of the user detected by the detectionsection 130 of the mobile terminal 10, and the inside of the circle withradius D having position information Pt−1 as a reference. For example,in the case where the movement direction of the user is only “northeastdirection”, the appropriate range specification section 221 can specify,as the appropriate range, a region of the first quadrant having theposition information Pt−1 as a reference and the inside, of the circlewith radius D having the position information Pt−1 as a reference.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, there is assumed a case where themovement direction of the user changes in the order of “northeastdirection”, “southwest direction”, and “northeast direction”, and hence,the appropriate range specification section 221 specifies, asappropriate range C2′, the small region of the first quadrant having theposition information Pt−1 as a reference and the inside of the circlewith radius D having the position information Pt−1 as a reference. Inthis case, since position information Pt is outside the appropriaterange, the position information correction section 222 corrects theposition information Pt to position information Pt′ which is the nearestto the position information Pt within the appropriate range. Heretofore,there has been described an example of the position correction (case ofusing information indicating a motion of a user) performed by theposition correction apparatus 20.

As the technique of specifying the appropriate range performed by theappropriate range specification section 221, there may be assumedanother technique. For example, in the case where pieces of positioninformation P0 to Pn each represent a position of the mobile terminal 10of the user, the appropriate range specification section 221 can alsospecify the appropriate range based on time information formed byassociating time at which a vehicle is expected to reach a station withposition information of the station. For example, in the case where thetime at which a vehicle is expected to reach a station is inside apredetermined range having an estimation time as a reference, theappropriate range specification section 221 can also specify theposition information of the station as the appropriate range.

The time information may be stored in the storage section 260 of theposition correction apparatus 20, or may be stored in another apparatus.Further, the time information may be updated on a real-time basis, andin the case where a delay occurs in a vehicle service, the appropriaterange specification section 221 can also specify the appropriate rangebased on the time information in which the delayed state is reflected.Hack to FIG. 2, the description on the function of the positioncorrection apparatus 20 will be continued.

The action label acquisition section 280 is configured from, forexample, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and has a function of acquiring anaction label indicating an action of the user holding the mobileterminal 10. As the technique of recognizing the action of the userholding the mobile terminal 10, the technology disclosed in JP2006-3452691 as described above can be adopted, for example. Accordingto such technology, for example, the motion of the user holding themobile terminal 10 is detected by the detection section 130, and thedetected motion is analyzed by the action label acquisition section 280,then the action of the user is recognized.

However, the technique of acquiring the action label performed by theaction label acquisition section 280 is not limited to such an example.For example, in the case where the input of an action label from theuser is accepted by the input section 270, the action label acquisitionsection 280 may acquire the action label, the input from the user ofwhich is accepted by the input section 270. In the example shown in FIG.2, although the action label acquisition section 280 is included in theposition correction apparatus 20, the action label acquisition section280 may also be included in the mobile terminal 10 instead of theposition correction apparatus 20.

The selection section 290 is configured from, for example, a CPU, a ROM,and a RAM, and has a function of selecting an algorithm for positioncorrection, based on the action label acquired by the action labelacquisition section 280. The selection section 290 may select thealgorithm based on the action label and a predetermined selectioncondition. Examples of the selection of the algorithm based on theaction label and the predetermined select or condition will be describedwith reference to FIG. 11.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data used for algorithmselection performed by the position correction apparatus 20. The data isstored in the storage section 260, for example, and is used for theselection of an algorithm performed by the selection section 290. Thepredetermined selection condition may include at least one of attributeinformation of the user holding the mobile terminal 10 or an environmentin which the user holding the mobile terminal 10 is present. Further,the predetermined selection condition may also be a type of the sensorwhich has detected the data used for the action recognition, apositioning method used for the position estimation of the mobileterminal 10, and the like.

In the example shown in FIG. 11, “weather”, “environment information”,and “transportation means” are examples of the environment in which theuser holding the mobile terminal 10 is present. As other examples of theenvironment in which the user is present, there are assumed“city/suburb”, “land/sea/river”, “season”, “temperature”, and “timeperiod”. The selection section 290 may acquire the environment in whichthe user holding the mobile terminal 10 is present from a web server,based on the position information of the mobile terminal 10.Alternatively, selection section 290 may acquire the environment inwhich the user holding the mobile terminal 10 is present from theinformation stored in the storage section 260 in advance, based on theposition information of the mobile terminal 10. In addition, theselection section 290 can also acquire the environment in which the userholding the mobile terminal 10 is present based on the action label.

Examples of the attribute information of the user include “sex”, “age”,“companion”, “unmarried/married”, “purpose of action”, and “way ofcarrying mobile terminal 10”. The selection section 290 can acquireinformation input by the use to the mobile terminal 10 as the attributeinformation of the user. The acquired attribute information of the usercan also be stored in the storage section 260 with control performed bythe control section 250. The selection section 290 can select analgorithm having larger appropriate range, as the action label indicatesan action accompanying faster movement, for example. For example, sinceit is assumed that the speed of the movement that accompanies the actionof the user becomes faster as the actions are changed in the order ofrest, shopping, movement by foot, movement bicycle, and movement by car(or movement by train), an algorithm having a larger appropriate rangecan be selected.

Further, since it is assumed that the speed of the movement of the userdecreases as “weather” among the selection conditions is changed in theorder of “sunny”, “cloudy” “rainy” “snowy”, for example, the selectionsection 290 can select an algorithm having a smaller appropriate range.In addition, since it is assumed that the speed of the movementdecreases when “environment information” is “unpaved road” compared tothe case where the “environment information” is “paved road”, theselection section 290 can select an algorithm having a smallerappropriate range. Hereinafter, an example of the position correction inaccordance with the thus selected algorithm will be described.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the position correction(case of using action label) performed by the position correctionapparatus 20. The correction section 220 can correct the positioninformation of the mobile terminal 10 in accordance with the algorithmselected by the selection section 290. In this case, as described above,the specification of the appropriate range and the correction of theposition information may be performed by the appropriate rangespecification section 221 and the position information correctionsection 222, respectively.

That is, the appropriate range specification section 221 can specify theappropriate range having position information P0 as a reference inaccordance with the algorithm selected by the selection section 290. Theposition information correction section 222 can correct positioninformation Pk+1, the estimation time of which is after that of positioninformation Pk, in the case where the position information Pk+1 isoutside the appropriate range specified by the appropriate rangespecification section 221.

As shown in FIG. 12, the position information correction section 222 canalso specify, as the appropriate range, the inside of the circle havingthe position information Pk as a reference, with a radius having alength designated by the algorithm selected by the selection section290. For example, let us assume that the action of the user from theposition information P0 to the position information P1 is “movement bybicycle”, the action of the user from the position information P1 to theposition information P2 is “movement by train”, and the action of theuser from the position information P2 to the position information P3 is“movement by foot”.

In this case, the selection section 290 can specify, as appropriateranges, the inside of the circles (boundaries B1, B2, and B3) havingpieces of position information P0, P1′, and P2′ as references, withradii d1, d2, and d3 having lengths designated by the algorithmsselected by the selection section 290, respectively. Note that, since itis assumed that the speed of the movement becomes faster as the actionof the user is changed in the order of “movement by foot”, “movement bybicycle”, and “movement by train”, a larger appropriate range isdesignated by the algorithm. That is, the relationship of the radii inthe respective algorithms is designated as d3<d1<d2.

Note that, for example, in the case where the action of the user is“movement by foot”, the appropriate range specification section 221 candetect the walking pitch of the user based on information indicating themotion of the user detected by the detection section 130. Accordingly,in the cane were the walking pitch of the user is detected, theappropriate range specification section 221 can also change the radiusin accordance with the walking pitch as shown in FIG. 12. For example,the appropriate range specification section 221 can specify theappropriate range as follows: “walking pitch (about 2 Hz, in the case ofmale adult)×step length (about 70 cm, in the case of male adult)=radius(about 1.4 m/sec, in the case of male adult)”.

Further, when the action of the user is “rest”, there is a case where,even though the user actually does not move, there is a block in whichit seems as if the user is moving. In the case where the action of theuser is “rest”, the appropriate range specification section 221calculates an elliptical range indicating plot distribution of theblock, and the position information correction section 222 may correctthe position information such that all pieces of position informationincluded in the block are contained in the ellipse. For the calculationof the elliptical range, the appropriate range specification section 221may determine a covariance matrix with respect to X and Y coordinates ofeach piece of position information, and may calculate a characteristicvector and a characteristic value (principal component analysis), forexample.

Tn addition, for example, in the case where the action of the user is“movement by train”, the appropriate range specification section 221 canalso specify the appropriate range by setting the radius to a lengthbased on the movement speed of the train. That is, the appropriate rangespecification section 221 can also specify the appropriate range bysetting the radius to a length based on a movement speed for eachaction, for example. The length based on the movement speed for eachaction is designated by the algorithm corresponding to each actionlabel, for example.

In addition thereto, there are various techniques as the technique forspecifying an appropriate range using an action label performed by theappropriate range specification section 221. For example, in the casewhere the action label indicates a state available for the movement on aroute (road, railway track, and the like), the appropriate rangespecification section 221 may specify the appropriate range based onroute information indicating a position at which the route exists. Forexample, in the case where the action label indicates a state availablefor the movement on a road, the appropriate range specification section221 may specify the appropriate range based on the road informationindicating a position at which the road exists. As the case where theaction label indicates the state available for the movement on the road,there are assumed cases where the actions of the user are “movement byfoot”, “movement by bicycle”, “movement by car”, and “movement by bus”,for example. For example, the appropriate range specification section221 can specify, as the appropriate range, the position at which theroad exists, which is indicated by the road information. Thespecification of the appropriate range based on the road information maybe executed as described with reference to FIG. 9.

In the case where the action label indicates a state available for themovement on a railway track, the appropriate range specification section221 may specify the appropriate range based on railway informationindicating a position at which the railway track exists. As the casewhere the action label indicates the state available for the movement onthe railway track, there is assumed a case where the action of the useris “movement by train”, for example. For example, the appropriate rangespecification section 221 can specify, as the appropriate range, theposition at which the railway track exists, which is indicated by therailway information. The specification of the appropriate range based onthe railway information may be executed as described above.

In the case where the action label indicates a state of moving on avehicle, the appropriate range specification section 221 may specify theappropriate range based on time information formed by associating timeat which the vehicle is expected to reach a station with positioninformation of the station. As the case where the action label indicatesthe state of moving on a vehicle, there are assumed cases where theactions of the user are “movement by bus”, “movement by train”, forexample. The specification of the appropriate range based on the timeinformation may be executed as described above.

Back to FIG. 2, the description on the function of the positioncorrection apparatus 20 will be continued. The control section 250 has afunction of controlling the entire operation of the position correctionapparatus 20. The display section 240 has a function of displayingvarious types of information based on the control performed by thecontrol section 250. For example, the display section 240 can displaythe position information before the correction or the positioninformation after the correction, based on the control performed by thecontrol section 250. Further, for example, the display section 240 canalso display the position information before the correction or theposition information after the correction side by side, based on thecontrol performed by the control section 250.

The input section 270 has a function of accepting input of various typesof operations from the user. Accordingly, in the case where the inputsection 270 accepts the input of operation to display the positioninformation after the correction, for example, the control section 250can control the display section 240 such that the position informationafter the correction is displayed. Further, in the case where the inputsection 270 accepts the input of operation to display the positioninformation before the correction, for example, the control section 250controls the display section 240 such that the position informationbefore the correction is displayed.

The input section 270 can also accept input of position information andan algorithm from the user. In this case, when the correction section220 corrects the position information, the control section 250 iscapable of performing control such that the algorithm the input of whichis accepted from the user is applied to the position information theinput of which is accepted from the user. The display section 240 canalso re-display, as the position information after the correction, theposition information which is corrected by applying thereto thealgorithm the input of which is accepted from the user.

The storage section 260 may be configured from, for example, anon-transitory computer-readable medium such as a magnetic storagedevice such as an HOD (Hard Disk Drive), a semiconductor storage device,an optical storage device, or a magneto-optical storage device, and maystore various types of information, various types of programs, and thelike. The storage section 260 can also store the position informationbefore the correction and the position information after the correctionbased on the control performed by the control section 250, for example.

Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 13, an example of the positioncorrection performed by the position correction apparatus 20 in the caseof using an action label will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchartshowing a flow of an example of the position correction (case of usingaction label) performed by the position correction apparatus 20. First,in the case where the position information of the mobile terminal 10 isan invalid value (“Yes” in S401), the selection section 290 terminatesthe position correction. In the case where the position information ofthe mobile terminal 10 is a valid value (“No” in S401), the selectionsection 290 proceeds to S402.

Next, in the case where an action recognition result obtained by theaction label acquisition section 280 is “movement by train” (“Yes” inS402), the selection section 290 selects an algorithm of the positioncorrection processing for the movement by train, and the correctionsection 220 performs position correction processing in accordance withthe selected algorithm (S403) and terminates the position correction. Inthe case where the action recognition result obtained by the actionlabel acquisition section 280 is not “movement by train” (“No” in S402),the selection section 290 proceeds to S404.

Next, in the case where the action recognition result obtained by theaction label acquisition section 280 is “movement by car” (“Yes” inS404), the selection section 290 selects an algorithm of the positioncorrection processing for the movement by car, and the correctionsection 220 performs position correction processing in accordance withthe selected algorithm (S405) and terminates the position correction. Inthe case where the action recognition result obtained by the actionlabel acquisition section 280 is not “movement by car” (“No” in S404),the selection section 290 proceeds to S406.

Next, in the case where the action recognition result obtained by theaction label acquisition section 280 is “movement by bus” (“Yes” inS406), the selection section 290 selects an algorithm of the positioncorrection processing for the movement by bus, and the correctionsection 220 performs position correction processing in accordance withthe selected algorithm (S407) and terminates the position correction. Inthe case where the action recognition result obtained by the actionlabel acquisition section 280 is not “movement, by bus” (“No” in S406),the selection section 290 proceeds to S408.

Next, in the case were the action recognition result obtained by theaction label acquisition section 280 is “movement by bicycle” (“Yes” inS408), the selection section 290 selects an algorithm of the positioncorrection processing for the movement by bicycle, and the correctionsection 220 performs position correction processing in accordance withthe selected algorithm (S409) and terminates the position correction. Inthe case where the action recognition result obtained by the actionlabel acquisition section 280 is not “movement by bicycle” (“No” inS408), the selection section 290 proceeds to S410.

Next, in the case where the action recognition result obtained by theaction label acquisition section 280 is “movement by foot” (“Yes” inS410), the selection section 290 selects an algorithm of the positioncorrection processing for the movement by foot, and the correctionsection 220 performs position correction processing in accordance withthe selected algorithm (S411) and terminates the position correction. Inthe case where the action recognition result obtained by the actionlabel acquisition section 280 is not “movement by foot” (“No” in S410),the selection section 290 terminates the position correction.

(Effects Obtained when Position Correction Apparatus is Applied toVarious Types of Positioning Technology)

Heretofore, an example of the position correction performed by theposition correction apparatus 20 in the case of using an action labelhas been described. Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 14 and FIG. 15,there will be described examples of correction results in the case wherethe position correction performed by the position correction apparatus20 according to the present embodiment is applied to various types ofpositioning technology. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of acorrection result in the case where the position correction performed bythe position correction apparatus 20 according to the present embodimentis applied to positioning technology based on a signal from a basestation of a wireless LAN. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of acorrection result in the case where the position correction performed bythe position correction apparatus 20 according to the present embodimentis applied to GPS positioning technology.

In FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, “correct route” shows a route on which the userholding the mobile terminal 10 has actually moved. “Before correction”shows a movement route of the mobile terminal 10 before the positioncorrection apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment performs theposition correction. “After correction” shows a movement route of themobile terminal 10 after the position correction apparatus 20 accordingto the present embodiment has performed the position correction. Asshown in each of FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, after the position correctionperformed by the position correction apparatus 20, there is nofluctuation of the movement route and the position information of themobile terminal 10 is acquired highly accurately, compared to before theposition correction performed by the position correction apparatus 20.

(Hardware Configuration of Position Correction Apparatus)

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of theposition correction apparatus 20. The position correction apparatus 20includes a CPU 301, a ROM 302, a RAM 303, and a host bus 304. Further,position correction apparatus 20 includes a bridge 305, an external bus306, an interface 307, an input device 308, an output device 310, astorage device (HUD) 311, a drive 312, and a communication device 313.

The CPU 301 functions as an arithmetic processing unit and a controlunit, and controls entire operation of the position correction apparatus20 in accordance with various programs. Further, the CPU 301 may be amicroprocessor. The ROM 302 stores a program, a calculation parameter,and the like used by the CPU 301. The RAM 303 temporarily stores aprogram used in execution of the CPU 301, a parameter varying asappropriate during the execution, and the like. They are connected witheach other via the host bus 304 configured from a CPU bus or the like.

The host bus 304 is connected to the external bus 306 such as a PCI(Peripheral Component Interconnect/Interface) bus via the bridge 305.Note that it is not necessary that the host bus 304, the bridge 305, andthe external bus 306 be configured separately, and the functions thereofmay be implemented in one bus.

The input device 308 is configured from, for example, input, means forinputting information by a user, such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touchpanel, a button, a microphone, a switch, and a lever, and an input,control circuit which generates an input signal based on the input bythe user and outputs the generated input signal to the CPU 301. The userof the position correct ion apparatus 20 can input various types of datato the position correction apparatus 20 and can instruct the positioncorrection apparatus 20 to perform a processing operation by operatingthe input device 308.

The output device 310 includes, for example, display devices such as aCRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display device, a liquid crystal display (LCD)device, an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) device, and a lamp.Further, the output device 310 includes audio output devices such as aspeaker and headphones. The output device 310 outputs reproducedcontent, for example. Specifically, the display device displays varioustypes of information such as reproduced video data using a text or animage. On the other hand, the audio output device converts reproducedaudio data and the like into audio and outputs the converted audio.

The storage device 311 is a device for storing data, which is configuredas an example of the storage section of the position correctionapparatus 20 according to the present embodiment. The storage device 311may include, for example, a storage medium, a recording device forrecording data in the storage medium, a reading device for reading outthe data from the storage medium, and a deletion device for deleting thedata recorded in the storage medium. The storage device 311 isconfigured from an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), for example. The storagedevice 311 drives a hard disk and stores a program and various types ofdata executed by the CPU 301.

The drive 312 is a reader/writer for the storage medium and is built inor externally attached to the position correction apparatus 20. Thedrive 312 reads out information recorded in a removable recording medium40 which is mounted thereto, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, amagneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, and outputs theinformation to the RAM 303. Further, the drive 312 can also writeinformation on the removable recording medium 40.

The communication device 313 is a communication interface which isconfigured from, for example, a communication device for establishing aconnection with a network 30. The communication device 313 may be awireless LAN (Local Area Network) enabled communication device, an LTE(Long Term Evolution) enabled communication device, or a wiredcommunication device for performing wired communication.

<2. Conclusion>

As described above, according to the position correction apparatus 20 ofthe embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to improve thereliability of the position estimation by using the functions of theappropriate range specification section 221 and the position informationcorrection section 222. In addition, according to the positioncorrection apparatus 20 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, itbecomes possible to acquire the position information of the mobileterminal 10 based on the action of the user by using the functions ofthe action label acquisition section 280, the selection section 290, andthe correction section 220.

It should be understood by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications, combinations, sub-combinations and alterations may occurdepending on design requirements and other factors insofar as they arewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

Further, respective steps included in the processing of the positioncorrection system 1 of the present specification are not necessarilyprocessed in chronological order in accordance with the flowcharts. Forexample, the respective steps included in the processing of the positioncorrection system 1 may be processed in different order from theflowcharts, or may be processed in a parallel manner.

Further, it is also possible to create a computer program for causinghardware such as the CPU 301, the ROM 302, and the RAM 303, which arebuilt in the position correction apparatus 20, to exhibit equivalentfunctions as those of respective structures of the position correctionapparatus 20 described above. Further, there is also provided a storagemedium having the computer program stored therein.

Although the invention herein has been described with reference toparticular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodimentsare merely illustrative of the principles and applications of thepresent invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerousmodifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that otherarrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

It should be noted that the present disclosure can also take thefollowing configurations.

[1]. A position correction apparatus comprising:

an appropriate range specification section which specifies anappropriate range having, as a reference, a first position informationamong a plurality of pieces of position information with whichestimation times are associated; and

a position information correction section which corrects a secondposition information, the estimation time of which is after theestimation time of the first position information, in a case where thesecond position information is outside the appropriate range specifiedby the appropriate range specification section.

[2]. The position correction apparatus according to [1],

wherein the position information correction section corrects the secondposition information to position information which is the nearest to thesecond position information within the appropriate range.

[3]. The position correction apparatus according to [1],

wherein, in a case where the plurality of pieces of position informationeach indicate a position of a mobile terminal of a user, the appropriaterange specification section specifies the appropriate range based on anaction label indicating an action of the user holding the mobileterminal.

[4]. The position correction apparatus according to [1],

wherein the position information correction section specifies, as theappropriate range, an inside of a circle having the first positioninformation as a reference.

[5]. The position correction apparatus according to [1],

wherein, in a case where the plurality of pieces of position informationeach indicate a position of a mobile terminal of a user, the appropriaterange specification section specifies the appropriate range based onroute information indicating a position at which a route exists.

[6]. The position correction apparatus according to [5],

wherein the appropriate range specification section specifies, as theappropriate range, the position at which the route exists, which isindicated by the route information.

[7]. The position correction apparatus according to [1],

wherein, in a case where the plurality of pieces of position informationeach indicate a position of a mobile terminal of a user, the appropriaterange specification section specifies the appropriate range based oninformation indicating a motion of the user detected by the mobileterminal.

[8]. The position correction apparatus according to [1],

wherein, in a case where the plurality of pieces of position informationeach indicate a position of a mobile terminal of a user, the appropriaterange specification section specifies the appropriate range based ontime information formed by associating time at which a vehicle isexpected to reach a station with position information of the station.

[9]. The position correction apparatus according to [1],

wherein, in a case where positioning accuracy of the second positioninformation is higher than a predetermined value, the positioninformation correction section limits correction of the second positioninformation even when the second position information is outside theappropriate range.

[10]. A position correction method comprising:

specifying an appropriate range having, as a reference, a first positioninformation among a plurality of pieces of position information withwhich estimation times are associated; and

correcting a second position information, the estimation time of whichis after the estimation time of the first position information, in acase where the second position information is outside the appropriaterange.

[11] A program for causing a computer to function as a positioncorrection apparatus including

an appropriate range specification section which specifies anappropriate range having, as a reference, a first position informationamong a plurality of pieces of position information with whichestimation times are associated, and

a position information correction section which corrects a secondposition information, the estimation time of which is after theestimation time of the first position information, in a case where thesecond position information is outside the appropriate range specifiedby the appropriate range specification section.

[12]. A position correction system comprising:

a mobile terminal including

-   -   a position information acquisition section which acquires a        plurality of pieces of position information with which        estimation times are associated, and    -   a transmission section which transmits the plurality of pieces        of position information acquired by the position information        acquisition section; and

a position correction apparatus including

-   -   a reception section which receives the plurality of pieces of        position information from the mobile terminal,    -   an appropriate range specification section which specifies an        appropriate range having, as a reference, a first position        information among the plurality of pieces of position        information received by the reception section, and    -   a position information correction section which corrects a        second position information, the estimation time of which is        after the estimation time of the first position information, in        a case where the second position information is outside the        appropriate range specified by the appropriate range        specification section.

[13]. The position correction apparatus according to [1],

wherein, in a case where positioning accuracy of the second positioninformation is higher than a predetermined value, the appropriate rangespecification section specifies an appropriate range having the secondposition information as a reference, and

wherein the position information correction section corrects a thirdposition information, the estimation time of which is after theestimation time of the second position information, in a case where thethird position information is outside, the appropriate range specifiedby the appropriate range specification section.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing apparatus comprising:processor configured to: determine a correction value corresponding to afirst position at which a terminal is estimated to be positioned at afirst time, in which the first position is indicated by first positioninformation of the terminal provided to the processor; and correct asecond position of the terminal based on the correction value, in whichthe second position is a position at which the terminal is estimated tobe positioned at a second time, in which the second position isindicated by second position information of the terminal provided to theprocessor, wherein the information processing apparatus determines thecorrection value based on an action label of the terminal, in which theaction label indicates a state of movement of the terminal.
 2. Theinformation processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the correctionvalue is a range.
 3. The information processing apparatus of claim 1,wherein the second position is determined by using inside of a boundary,in which the boundary is in accordance with the correction value.
 4. Theinformation processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor isconfigured to: obtain the second position by determining a positionindicated by the correction value.
 5. The information processingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: associatethe action label with the terminal based on an action of the terminal;and determine the correction value based on the first position and theaction label.
 6. The information processing apparatus of claim 1,wherein the processor is configured to: determine a circular boundaryhaving a designated radius, the first position being included within thecircular boundary; and determine the correction value based on thecircular boundary.
 7. The information processing apparatus of claim 1,wherein the processor is configured to: determine route information forthe terminal based on the first position; and, determine the correctionvalue based on the route information.
 8. The information processingapparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured to determinethe route information by associating the first position with a positionof a road.
 9. The information processing apparatus of claim 7, whereinthe processor is configured to determine the route information byassociating the first position with a position of a railway track. 10.The information processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processoris configured to: associate a destination with the terminal based on theroute information; estimate a time of arrival of the terminal at thedestination associated with the terminal; and, determine the correctionvalue based on the estimated time of arrival of the terminal at thedestination.
 11. The information processing apparatus of claim 1,wherein the processor is configured to: determine a change in the firstposition based on a movement of the terminal; and recalculate thecorrection value based on the change in the first position.
 12. Aninformation processing apparatus comprising: a processor configured to:determine a correction value corresponding to a first position at whicha terminal is estimated to be positioned at a first time, in which thefirst position is indicated by first position information of theterminal provided to the processor; and correct a second position of theterminal based on the correction value, in which the second position isa position at which the terminal is estimated to be positioned at asecond time, in which the second position is indicated by secondposition information of the terminal provided to the processor, whereinthe information processing apparatus determines the correction valuebased on an action label of the terminal; and wherein the processor isconfigured to: determine a position accuracy for the first position;determine if the position accuracy for the first position is equal to orgreater than a predetermined value; and associate the first positionwith the terminal when a determination indicates that the positionaccuracy for the first position is equal to or greater than thepredetermined value.
 13. An information processing apparatus comprising:a processor configured to: determine a correction value corresponding toa first position at which a terminal is estimated to be positioned at afirst time, in which the first position is indicated by first positioninformation of the terminal provided to the processor; and correct asecond position of the terminal based on the correction value, in whichthe second position is a position at which the terminal is estimated tobe positioned at a second time, in which the second position isindicated by second position information of the terminal provided to theprocessor, wherein the information processing apparatus determines thecorrection value based on an action label of the terminal; and whereinthe processor is configured to: determine a positioning accuracy for thesecond position; and determine if the positioning accuracy for thesecond position is less than a predetermined value, wherein the secondposition is corrected when a determination is the second position isoutside the correction value and the positioning accuracy for the secondposition is less than the predetermined value.
 14. The informationprocessing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terminal is selected fromthe group consisting of a personal computer, a video processingapparatus, a mobile phone, a music reproduction device, a personaldigital assistant device, a game device, a global positioning device,and a consumer electronics device.
 15. The information processingapparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first position or thesecond position includes an altitude associated with the terminaldevice.
 16. The information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein theprocessor is configured to associate a time with at least one of thefirst position or the second position.
 17. A method comprising:determine, by a processor, a correction value corresponding to a firstposition at which a terminal is estimated to be positioned at a firsttime, in which the first position is indicated by first positioninformation of the terminal provided to the processor; and correct, bythe processor, a second position of the terminal based on the correctionvalue, in which the second position is a position at which the terminalis estimated to be positioned at a second time, in which the secondposition is indicated by second position information of the terminalprovided to the processor, wherein the correction value is based on anaction label of the terminal, in which the action label indicates astate of movement of the terminal.
 18. A non-transitorycomputer-readable storage unit on which computer readable instructionsof a program are stored, the instructions, when executed by a processor,causing the processor to: determine a correction value corresponding toa first position at which a terminal is estimated to be positioned at afirst time, in which the first position is indicated by first positioninformation of the terminal provided to the processor; and correct asecond position of the terminal based on the correction value, in whichthe second position is a position at which the terminal is estimated tobe positioned at a second time, in which the second position isindicated by second position information of the terminal provided to theprocessor, wherein the correction value is determined based on an actionlabel of the terminal in which the action label indicates a state ofmovement of the terminal.